1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pair of slide fastener stringers with a plurality of sliders and of bottom end stops both slidably mounted thereon.
2. Prior Art
When slide fasteners are to be sewn onto germents at factories or sold to customers at stores, it is one of the common practices to cut coupled elongate fastener stringers having a plurality of sliders and of bottom end stops to desired stringer lengths each having a slider and a bottom end stop.
One such conventional stringer assembly is shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B comprises a pair of coupled slide fastener stringers F1 having a pair of interlocking rows of elements E, a plurality of sliders S slidably mounted on the element rows and having their heads directed in the same direction, and a plurality of bottom end stops B disposed alternately with the sliders and having a substantially C-shaped cross-section, the bottom end stops being slidable along the rows of elements. The stringers are severed to a desired length with a slider and a bottom end stop at the rear side of the slider being mounted on the cut length. Another prior art proposal shown in FIG. 11 is devoid of the bottom end stops movable along the rows of elements E of the fastener stringers F.sub.2.
With these attempts, however, opposed fastener elements at areas A near the heads of the sliders remain disengaged, and the intermeshed elements are liable to start breaking apart from the areas A when subjected to a lateral pull exerted on the stringers F.sub.1, F.sub.2. When the stringers F.sub.1 are accidentally broken apart as illustrated in FIG. 10B, a first slider and bottom stop located at the right-hand side of the separated elements as viewed in FIG. 10B cannot be moved leftwardly to put the uncoupled elements into mutual engagement, and hence must be removed and replaced by a second slider and bottom stop at the left-hand side of the separated elements, the elements being again coupled together as they leave the second slider. If this occurred frequently, it would be tedious and time-consuming to reassemble the removed sliders and bottom stops onto the stringers. Furthermore, the bottom end stops mounted relatively loosely have a tendency to be easily displaced in either direction along the rows of elements.
When it is necessary to cut off a damaged section D of the stringers F.sub.2 as shown in FIG. 11, a slider on the damaged section cannot be shifted to a remaining undamaged section of the stringers because the slider when transferred would be prevented from moving further by an uncoupled area A leaving the head of a next retracting slider. Such slider must be removed together with the damaged section and assembled again when necessary.